What to serve with Fried Green Tomatoes?

[daily_unadventures]

I just got a bag of green tomatoes from my Dad which I am looking forward to cooking up but I was wondering what would one typically serve with them? Hopefully a weeknight possible meal.
Thanks in Advance!
Katerina
http://dailyunadventures.com

[jdm]

CRAB CAKES!

[MakingSense]

Crabcakes on top of fried green tomatoes with hollandaise spiked with a little Tabasco, garnished with chopped flat leaf Italian parsley. Poached egg or not, as you choose. Terrific brunch dish.

[jdm]

Exactly!!!

[suse]

a cold one!

[Megiac]

Do you have any left? They'd make a great BLT.

[daily_unadventures]

Thanks everyone - I did serve them with shrimp remoulade last night! Quite successfully too. My only beef was with the tomatoes themselves. They were a little greasy and not crispy enough. I am thinking the oil wasn't hot enough? Any ideas.

[chef chicklet]

Yup if your oil was not hot enough the batter will take the oil on, absorbing it and resulting in a greasy uncrispy tomato, chicken, or whatever it is you're frying. I always test with a piece of bread. And make sure you don't over-crowd, it brings the oil temperature down alot. Recently made egg rolls, and 6 in there was too many, 4 was perfect. It also helps the oil cook evenly all around the food.

[JungMann]

The trick I learnt is to stick a wooden spoon in the hot oil. If the oil bubbles vigorously around the spoon, you know you're at temperature. A stem of fresh herbs is a good indicator, too.

[chef chicklet]

You know I can't seem to judge it right using a spoon! I have tried it that way and I see the bubbles, but, I'm just not certain of the temperature at that point. is it 350 375 or higher, lower? I'm just one of those people that really needs a good visual! I would do better with the herbs. Seems that I have more trouble with overcrowding the fry basket, and lowering my temperature, if i get in a hurry it will mess me up every time! If I use the wok, I seem to be fine, just messy.

[MMRuth]

I can't find my thermometer, and so I've been putting things into the oil when it starts shimmering - no idea if that is an approriate test or not, but I'm a pretty novice fryer (though no spring chicken) and it seems to be working well.

[chef chicklet]

I have heard that too, do you think it's at maybe 350?
I think it is really tricky to do good fry, I don't cook very often that way. I love egg rolls or tiny chimichanagas. I think it takes some skill.

[MMRuth]

I think it takes more practice than skill. I started last summer with breaded sage leaves, and have moved on to fried green tomatoes, fried zucchini flowers, fried spring rolls, fried sardines, and some tiny white fish! Not necessarily the healthiest skill to acquire! I usually do a pretty shallow fry.

[leahinsc]

cheese grits or polenta
meatloaf

[shallots]

Our favorite restaurant serves them on a bed of cheese grits with both andouille sausage gravy and a white gravy with sausage chunks.

[pikawicca]

You and "Making Sense" are going to be the death of me! This sounds fantastic.

[alkapal]

to quote the late great Justin Wilson,"wooooooooo-eeeeeeeee!"

[pikawicca]

Not traditional at all, but these are surprisingly good with homemade pico de gallo. My mother always served them with cream gravy.

[MakingSense]

Picawicca's Mom is right! Green tomatoes are pretty tart and something creamy is a good choice. White remoulades are popular choices. Great topping a salad.

I've also had them as the base, instead of bread, for an Eggs Benedict-style dish with country ham and hollandaise. They're great with fish because of the tart, almost citrusy taste. And with creamy pastas. Anything with mild cheeses.
They make great pickles and relishes so it doesn't surprise me at all that they'd love pico de gallo.

They're a great vegetable so no reason why you couldn't serve them as a side with anything. No reason why it would have to be something you think of as Southern.

[pikawicca]

The Eggs Benedict riff sounds totally amazing!

[JungMann]

Fried chicken or catfish is definitely the classic choice. If you want to save some time (and fat) you could try pork chops milanese as well.

[chef4hire]

we serve them with shrimp remoulade...right on top is delicious

[scubadoo97]

A remoulade was the first thing I thought of to serve with the fried green tomatoes.
Not sure if the OP was more interested in a main course or not.

[daily_unadventures]

Seems like enough of a meal to me... A LOT of fried green tomatoes and some shrimp remoulade... I am not serving it for company, just for me and my boyfriend after work.. and a remoulade doesn't sound like too much work.

[MMRuth]

Really - those are so delicious, I think you could pretty much serve anything with them and it would be great.

[rockycat]

Yup, I always serve them with a remoulade sauce - sans shrimp. They make a pretty good light lunch all by themselves. Although I have layered them with Cajun-spiced grilled flank steak strips in the past. It works.

[kittyfood]

Fried chicken would be the classic choice.

[MMRuth]

Are you looking for a main course, or a condiment? I made them this summer for the first time, and they were delicious with a pepper jelly. We ate them as an appetizer.

[daily_unadventures]

I was anticipating serving them as a side. There are just two of us and we both work - so there are no appetizers on weeknights after work :)